Wallendas returning as South County Balloon Festival seeks new heights

It began 36 years ago with a couple of hot air balloons in a cow field. Now, the South County Hot Air Balloon Festival is one of the state’s biggest summer attractions, offering three days of music, food, and, of course, balloon rides.

It began 36 years ago with a couple of hot air balloons in a cow field. Now, the South County Hot Air Balloon Festival is one of the state’s biggest summer attractions, offering three days of music, food, entertainment and fireworks. And of course, balloon rides.

“But it’s so much more than balloons,” said Spencer Seitz, who for years was chairman of the annual event.

The festival gets under way Friday at 4 p.m. at the University of Rhode Island, with carnival rides and crafts, as well as a catch-and-release trout pond and train rides for the kids.

Members of the Flying Wallendas, the famed family of aerialists, walk the high wire at 5:30 p.m., and Rhode Island’s own Roomful of Blues performs at 6:30 p.m. Both events are free with the price of admission.

It’s been three years since the Wallendas have appeared at the festival, said Seitz. The troupe was just too busy to make it to Kingston. But as soon as their schedule opened up, the festival booked them, he said.

The troupe, which got its start in the 1920s, is known for such bone-chilling feats as walks across the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls — and for accidents that caused the deaths of founder Karl Wallenda in 1978 and other members of the family.

The group brings its own system of poles and wires, and performs without a net or safety harness, said Seitz, a financial planner from Exeter.

“They are worth the whole price of admission,” he said. “They scare the hell out of me.”

But let’s not forget the balloons. Those take to the skies at dawn and dusk, when winds are calm. And in most cases they’re tethered to the ground.

The balloons go up about 100 feet, said Seitz, offering spectacular views of the area.

“It’s one of the most peaceful things you’ll ever do,” he said. “It’s about as violent as an elevator ride. If you’re not paying attention, you don’t even know you’re going up.”

Tether-free flights over the countryside are also available, but on a limited basis, said Seitz. And the weather has to be near perfect. Those rides must be negotiated with individual pilots, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Prices vary widely, too, but typically a ride costs about $200 per person. The tethered rides are $15.

New this year are shaped balloons. One looks like an upside-down Humpty Dumpty, another resembles a hummingbird. Or you can check out partially inflated balloons while they sit on the ground.

After dark, some balloonists fire up their burners, said Seitz, for a “major photo op.”

But it’s “safety first,” he said. “If there’s any question about the weather, we won’t fly.”

The festival, which attracts between 15,000 and 20,000 visitors who come from as far away as Cape Cod, covers the entire grounds of URI’s athletic complex off Route 138. The carnival alone takes up six acres, said Seitz.

“It’s an empty field Thursday afternoon,” he said, “that becomes this city by Friday.”

The Rotary Club of Wakefield, along with a couple hundred volunteers, puts on the event, which during three-plus decades has raised more than $1 million for charity.

Seitz said the festival began adding attractions about 15 years ago, making it a daylong experience.

“It used to be that once the balloons were gone,” he said, “people would be standing in an empty field in 85-degree heat saying, “I paid for this?’ ”

The idea, said Seitz, is to have something happening from morning until night, whether it’s pony rides for the kids, the rock climbing wall, jugglers or colorful giant kites. Those measure about a dozen feet in length, and are flown by a team of experts.

“We want to make sure they don’t crash,” said Seitz. “They could take you out — and your car.”

There are also continuous train rides for kids. A tractor pulls about eight or nine cars that each hold two youngsters.

Once again, the festival is hosting a barbecue competition on Saturday. And barbecue vendors will be on hand the rest of the time with ribs and other delicacies.

“There’s tons of food,” said Seitz. “You won’t lose weight at this event.”

A muscle car show is slated for 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, with more than 100 Corvettes on display.

And a fireworks display, one of the highlights of the weekend, takes place Saturday night at 9.

“We started with two or three balloons in a field,” said Seitz, “and it’s now this thing that takes 10 people to park cars.”

Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 14 and under, and family packs are available for $25. Visit southcountyballoonfest.com.